Algerian President Calls for Justice for Colonial-Era Wrongs by France

France celebrated its victory over the Nazis on May 8, 1945, while Algeria recalled a darker chapter from its history. French President Emmanuel Macron paid tribute to those who fought in World War II by laying a wreath at the Arc de Triomphe.

Algeria, then under French rule, faced a harsh crackdown on its independence activists, sparking independence movements across former colonial territories.

In Algiers, ceremonies were conducted to honor protesters in Guelma, Sétif, and Kherrata, who demanded freedom from French colonialism.

Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune remarked, “Today, we remember the massacres of May 8, 1945, carried out by the colonizers with extreme brutality to suppress a growing national movement that led to widespread protests….”

The issue of historical justice continues to strain relations between Algeria and France, with President Tebboune planning to address it during a visit to France later this year.

Macron and Tebboune have developed a friendly relationship and agreed to establish a joint commission of historians to suggest steps towards reconciliation.